American living in Amsterdam here (for 1.5 years now) and let me tell you, the city does not resemble what the article paints it like at all. Only time I ever see prostitutes is if a friend is visiting and just HAS to see the Red Light District/ a Fark party. Nor have I as a woman been accosted going home as the article says, or anything like that.

I further find it telling that this article doesn't say how much more prevalent human trafficking is in the Netherlands than in other countries. I would be curious to hear if it's much higher as of the last 10 years or so.

I am sure all of that exists, you just do not run around where those actions occur.

I have lived on and off in Colombia over 20 years and there are plenty of Americans and Europeans living there now and they go native and say things like "Cocaine, hookers, kidnappings do not exist, I do not know what Colombia you live in, but not mine!"

Because they stay in their homes, and only venture out to places that their Colombian wives let them go, and usually only with family members and friends.

Plus the locals tend to put on their best behavior for not natives.

I on the other hand as a Colombian/American will say "what about the four whore houses around the corner from the church? the cabbie who just tried to sell me an eightball, and the lady with the photo book full of 15 year old hookers?" and the response is always "well, uh, you must be making that up!"

I have been to Amsterdam and thought it was a wonderful place, but I did see a lot of unwashed druggies and public urination, but it was mostly other Euros getting their party on.

scottydoesntknow:I'm pretty sure they (hipsters) think that because that's how Holland wants to be viewed by tourists. When foreigners think of New York, they think of Times Square, all the museums/plays, the Statue of Liberty; not the thousands of homeless, millions of rats, murders, traffic jams, etc. that are there every day.

it wasn't like that before Giuliani had all the homeless people secretly killed. I, personally, miss the grit, not to mention the semi-affordable real estate.

American living in Amsterdam here (for 1.5 years now) and let me tell you, the city does not resemble what the article paints it like at all. Only time I ever see prostitutes is if a friend is visiting and just HAS to see the Red Light District/ a Fark party. Nor have I as a woman been accosted going home as the article says, or anything like that.

I further find it telling that this article doesn't say how much more prevalent human trafficking is in the Netherlands than in other countries. I would be curious to hear if it's much higher as of the last 10 years or so.

I loved that damn place so relaxing even when I was sober, only thing keeping me here is the GFs son, she won't move away from him

Karac:gilgigamesh: The thing of it is, Vegas was able to legalize the sex trade without all these problems. As far as I know.

Prostitition is not legal in Las Vegas. Nevada laws on the matter differ from county to county; the ones which contain Vegas, Reno, and the majority of the population in the state do not allow it.

If fly to Vegas for the weekend and want to find a legal whore, you're going to need to rent a car, get directions, and drive for at least a half hour. If you want to do the same in Amsterdam, all you probably have to do is get on the subway.

Which strikes me as odd, considering Vegas legalized gambling and has made a ton of money on that pony.

Interesting tidbit: several years ago, the Department of Defense added a regulation which outlawed members of the military hiring a hooker; even if doing so was legal under the local laws - even if that location was one of those brothel-friendly Nevada counties.

The theory behind this was that the odds of the girl being a trafficed sex slave were so high that it could be presumed that no prostitute anywhere in the world was able to consent to sex and hiring her would be tantamount to rape.

I have been to Holland and really found the people to live there to be awesome. There is a seedy district in Amsterdam where it seems most of the bad stuff is limited to but that is like any other major city in the US or Europe.

Karac:Interesting tidbit: several years ago, the Department of Defense added a regulation which outlawed members of the military hiring a hooker; even if doing so was legal under the local laws - even if that location was one of those brothel-friendly Nevada counties.

The theory behind this was that the odds of the girl being a trafficed sex slave were so high that it could be presumed that no prostitute anywhere in the world was able to consent to sex and hiring her would be tantamount to rape.

thats because the areas where the US has bases tend to develop thriving Trafficking prostitution operations overnight.

lots of it went on when we were in Bosnia / Kosovo. Phillippennes is ridiculous in this regard as well.

Citrate1007:The Super Bowl is an event that creates the #1 highest concentration of illegal prostitution in the world. So ya, Fark the Dutch.....

In just about every place the Super Bowl is held any prostitution is illegal prostitution, from the $10 BJ in the parking lot to the $2000/hr "escort".

So get back to us on that when we have legal, regulated prostitution like the Dutch .. or when they hold a Super Bowl outside the Mustang Ranch. Otherwise the comparison is worse than useless -- it's misleading.

Holland is a great place. I try to avoid American stoner tourists when I vist there - most of them act like farking assholes. Try getting out of Amsterdam, Holland is a fantastic place to explore and the people are nice.

I'm utterly shocked that an article by the Spectator bares no resemblance to reality, shocked. Bullshiat article by a conservative rag. The people that could believe this crap are those who have never been and have the mentality of a timid sheep.